Improvement in fruit-pickers



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THE GRAPHIC CO.PHUYO^LITN.39& 4| PARK PLACER! UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE CHARLES M. HOWARD, 0E DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRUlTfPlCKERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,652, dated October 6, 1874; application filed August 28, 1874.

To all whom it mayconcer'n:

Beit known that I, CHARLES M. HOWARD, of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fruit-Pickers, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object I have in view is an improvement in fruit-pickers, whereby the same may be rendered more convenient in use and effective in result; and my invention therein consists in a pair of pinchers, `with a separating-spring, and with a pair of knives, which are secured on one side of the pinchers jaws, one knife being laterally adjustable, and so arranged that when applied tothe stem of the fruit the knives will sever it, while the pinchers jaws seize it below the point of severance, and hold the fruit until it is desirable to deposit it, the relaxation of the hand allowing the spring before mentioned to throw the jaws of the pinchers apart.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, I proceed to describe the same in connection with the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cutting-sides. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the reverse; and Fig. 3 is a broken section of one of the jaws, showing the groove for the reception of the knife on the opposite jaw.

Like letters denote similar parts in each figure.

In the drawings, A and B represent the handles of a pair of pinchers, which are pivoted together by a pin, U, and the jaws of which are represented by a and b. The handle A terminates in a ring, a. A fiat spring, bl, extends diagonally from the handle B, to which one end is secured, to the handle A, against which it presses continually. The handle B isl made to conform to that portion of the palm of the hand against which it presses. The jaws a and b arev somewhat longer than those of ordinary pinchers, and are Toughened on adjacent faces c and d. A knife, D, having a slightly-beveled and concave edge, is rmly secured on the side of the jaw b, so that its edge, except near the end, shall be in the same plane as the roughened face of the jaw b. The end, by reason of its concave form, projects somewhat beyond the plane of the face of the jaw. Another knife, E, having a sharp and convex edge, is adjustably secured on the same side of the jaw a, which is scored out at b2 to admit the edge of knife D, when the knives are closed. From the rear end of this blade a small projection, e, also sharp, being the continuation of the blade, extends to the opposite blade, upon which it rests and slides. The object of this projection is to prevent the stem of the fruit slipping into the joint of the pinchers, and also to assist in the cutting. The knife E is secured to the jaw by two screws, e1 and e2. The screw e1 passes through a slot, f, in the knife, which allows of lateral adjustment when it is desired to move the knife in or out to cut larger or smaller stems.

To use this instrument, the operator seizes it in one hand, passing his little finger through the ring a', and incloses the stem of the fruit between the jaws of the pinchers, and close against the projection e. When the stem is severed by the knives, it is seized by the roughened-faced jaws of the pinchers, and held until it is desirable to deposit it in the proper vessel.

By this contrivance, it will be seen that the most delicate fruits, especially grapes, maybe gathered when perfectly ripe, without dan ger of dropping or bruising the fruit.

Having thus described my invention and explained its operation, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a fruit-picker, the combination of jaws with roughened faces, one jaw having upon it an adjustable knife, E, with a projection, e, andthe other jaw having a knife, D, adapted to fit into a recess in the opposite jaw, substantially as described and shown.

This specification signed and witnessed this 24th day of August, 1874.

. CHARLES M. HOWARD.

Witnesses AUGUsTUs DAY, HAMILTON G. HOWARD. 

